


when honey spills and apple swells

by ADreamingSongbird



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Ash Lynx Lives, Birthday Fluff, M/M, Post-Canon, in which eiji recruits his sister to help him give ash a great birthday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:21:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25873543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ADreamingSongbird/pseuds/ADreamingSongbird
Summary: Ash turns twenty-two. No, not like the Taylor Swift song. No! Not like—will you stopsinging,Eiji!(Ash and Eiji move back to New York. Eiji decides Ash deserves to have the best birthday he's had in a long time. Mild shenanigans ensue.)
Relationships: Ash Lynx & Okumura Eiji's Sister, Ash Lynx/Okumura Eiji
Comments: 25
Kudos: 195





	when honey spills and apple swells

**Author's Note:**

  * For [alartes_writes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alartes_writes/gifts).



It’s around nine in the evening, the sky a deepening purple outside as Ash sits on the sofa, book in hand. He’s halfway through a _Lord of the Rings_ reread; next to him, Eiji’s going through his work email, humming to himself.

It’s peaceful. Most of their days are, now.

Ash turns the page. Gandalf is leading the Three Hunters and the Rohirrim to Isengard to reunite with Merry and Pippin; every time Ash reads the passage where Gimli begs Legolas to let him down from the horse before returning to look at the eyes in the trees, he snorts.

The river Isen and its flow… Tolkien’s prose always makes him wonder, awestruck at the changes to the landscape left by the flood. Certainly it’s relatively small, as far as catastrophes go, and yet he can’t help but think about river rocks worn smooth by—

“Ash?”

He hums softly, mind still pondering rocks and rivers. “Mm?”

Eiji reaches over to tuck a lock of hair behind Ash’s ear, fingers gentle. “I have some mildly bad news,” he says, and Ash looks up from his book, brow furrowed. “Nothing alarming! Just… disappointing?”

“What’s up?” Ash leans his cheek into Eiji’s hand, closing his eyes. Eiji’s touch is warm.

Eiji’s thumb caresses his cheekbone. “There is a big project we just got,” he says ruefully. “I think I might have to spend a few days on it—there are a lot of photos that will need editing. Is it okay if we celebrate your birthday on the weekend instead? I know it will be late, but…”

Ash blinks. His birthday? Eiji’s always the one who worries about it more, out of the two of them. He turns his head and presses a quick kiss into Eiji’s palm.

“Yeah, ‘course that’s fine,” he promises, and Eiji strokes his cheek again. “Honestly, spending the day with you is all I need. I can get something to read. Maybe we can just order something nice for dinner and call it special, if you want.”

“Oh, yeah, sure!” Eiji smiles at him, looking relieved. “You’re sure that’s okay?”

“Absolutely,” Ash assures him, and smiles back. “I’ll make some cake or something, too. Don’t worry about it—I don’t want you to have to stress yourself on my account. Take care of your photos, Birdie.”

Eiji leans in and kisses him, soft and sweet. “You are an _angel._ Okay, then! We can make it a nice day in.”

Mm. That sounds perfectly fine. A cozy day in with the love of his life.

Ash kisses Eiji again, smiling against his lips, and then rests his head on his shoulder, dropping his gaze back down to the book. The travelers are about to pass the fords of the Isen and make camp for the night, and…

(He’s so engrossed that he doesn’t even notice the way Eiji grins to himself, as if he’s just scored some kind of victory.)

* * *

The days pass by easily, a classic New York August filled with tawny sunsets and vibrant blue skies and shimmering heat. Ash enjoys the last few weeks before the academic year starts—he’ll be going back to school for his master’s soon—while Eiji goes to work, either at the studio or doing shoots for clients in the city.

It’s domestic. Far domestic than anything Ash would have ever thought he’d see in his lifetime. But he spends his last few weeks of break at home, cooking and cleaning and reading, watching documentaries as he folds laundry, or taking meandering walks through the city until he comes home sweaty and overheated, and gets in a lukewarm shower to cool off by the time Eiji gets home.

Every evening, they have dinner together, then do the dishes together, side-by-side; Eiji soaps, and Ash rinses. It’s clockwork. It’s routine. It’s a joyous rebellion against everything he’s ever known.

In the mornings, Ash sleeps in; some days are nice, and Eiji doesn’t have to leave, or at least doesn’t have to leave until later on, and they wake up together. Today must be one of those nice days, because when Ash rolls over, pleasantly warm and snuggly and sleepy, a hand touches his cheek, and then lips brush his forehead.

“Good morning,” Eiji murmurs, his voice soft. Ash can feel him smiling against his forehead. He’s warm and very huggable, so naturally, of course, Ash has to hug him.

“Mmph,” he responds, eloquent as ever, face pressed into Eiji’s neck. “Mhm.”

Eiji laughs softly, and his hand cards through Ash’s hair. Ash preens, eyes still closed, and presses into the touch; he loves when Eiji plays with his hair. “Happy birthday, my sleepy love.”

“Mmhmmm.”

Eiji kisses his forehead again. “Still too asleep to even thank your fiancé properly, I see.”

His fiancé. Yes. Eiji _is_ his fiancé. Ash is gonna marry him one day. Yes. This is true. It makes him smile, nuzzling into Eiji’s neck. “Mmm…”

“Oh, _Ash.”_ Eiji ruffles his hair, laughing again, and squeezes him tight. Ash loves when Eiji hugs him tight—he sighs in bliss and presses a clumsy, sleepy kiss to the side of Eiji’s neck. Pressed together like this, he can feel Eiji’s heartbeat. It’s soothing. “What am I supposed to do with you, hmm?”

“Snuggle,” Ash answers, very pleased with himself, and sighs in contentment. This is good. He is cozy. “More snuggle.”

“Okay, birthday boy. You win this time.” Eiji strokes his hair back from his forehead and kisses his brow, too. “You get a few more minutes. Then I should get up.”

“ _Noooo_.” Ash wraps his legs around one of Eiji’s. “No gettin’ up. Mine.”

“Okay, okay, you lazy cat!” Eiji laughs. Ash can feel it rumble pleasantly in his chest, and he hums in response as Eiji’s fingers start playing with his hair, rubbing lightly against his scalp and carding through the strands, and Ash tips his head into his touch, smiling happily. “You are so cute like this. It is not good for my heart.”

“My heart,” Ash repeats sleepily, and pats at the general vicinity of Eiji’s face. He’s Ash’s heart and soul and everything. Teddy bear, too. “Mine.”

“Oh…” Eiji breathes, and then Ash feels him smile as he kisses his forehead again. “Yeah. All yours, Ash.”

Ash slips back into a light doze, lying happily pillowed on Eiji’s chest as Eiji’s hand cards through his hair. After a few minutes, Eiji picks up his phone, probably checking the news or his email or something; Ash can feel the rectangular weight of it against his back, but pays it no mind.

Eiji’s warm. And soft. And good for snuggles. Has he mentioned that before?

Oh well. It’s the truth. The truth can be mentioned many times. Eiji’s warm and soft and good for snuggles.

Ash dozes a few minutes longer, content beyond words. He’s lazy and heavy and warm, and there’s a patch of sunlight on his back from the window, and Eiji’s heart is beating under his hand, and everything is good.

…And then Eiji says, “Hm.”

That rouses Ash, not so much because Eiji says _hm_ but because it’s the exact way Eiji says _Hm._ when he’s done something wrong, like when he accidentally dropped the entire jar of red chili powder into a bubbling pot of soup, or when he was folding laundry and realized he’d washed his thumb drive, or…

The point is, that’s a _suspicious_ noise that means Eiji’s committing Eiji crimes. Ash tilts his head up to look at him, eyes narrowed.

“Wha’d’you do.”

“Why do you automatically assume I did something!” Eiji protests, but there’s a suspicious tint to his cheeks, and the amount of bluster is a dead ringer that Ash is right.

Ash just stares at him suspiciously. He’ll spill. He’s easy like that.

Sure enough, Eiji looks at him innocently. Ash is a little surprised—it usually takes longer than just a second of staring, but hey. Whatever works. He’ll take it. “I, ah, may have accidentally made you plans to go out for the day?”

…What.

Ash props his head up on one hand, trying to blink the sleep out of his eyes. “How the fuck d’you _accidentally_ do that?”

Eiji puffs out his cheeks. “In my defense,” he says peevishly, “it is mostly Nahoko’s fault. I told her we had no big plans for today because I will be busy, and she said that I am, quote, ‘a big boring stinkyhead’, and that since I will be busy all day, she will take you out on the town.”

Ash stares for a second.

“She said she is already on her way,” Eiji adds, and doesn’t even have the good grace to look sheepish. The big lump, he’s probably _pleased_ that Ash isn’t gonna just spend his birthday like any other day. Even if Ash said it’s _fine_ if he does.

Ash huffs. Eiji pushes at his shoulder.

“Go on, get up! It is already ten, I am sure she will be here within an hour or so. Go shower, you will wake up.”

Ash puffs out his cheeks. He was enjoying sleeping in with the love of his life on his birthday… but sure, sure. Fine. Suuure.

“You’re a big boring stinkyhead,” he tells Eiji, and groans dramatically as he rolls out of bed.

It’s his birthday, so he takes his time in the shower, enjoying the hot water pounding against his back as he sits on the tub floor. He has a new bottle of rosemary-and-rhubarb-scented shampoo and a matching conditioner, plus a rose body wash, and by the time he comes out of the bathroom in a cloud of sweet-scented steam, he feels absolutely luxurious.

“Finally,” Eiji grouses, voice drifting from the kitchen. “I was worried you would not have a chance to eat before you go out. You always take ten years to shower! The whole _building_ will run out of hot water one of these days.”

Ash rolls his eyes good-naturedly and meanders over to him, hugging him from behind and hooking his chin over his shoulder. Eiji’s cutting strawberries. They smell good, and the juice stains the cutting board pink. “I thought you were being nice to me today. It’s my _birthday._ ”

Eiji gives him a dour look and stuffs a strawberry into his mouth. Ash takes a bite of it—it’s sour, blech—and like any good fiancé, immediately smushes a messy, sticky, juicy kiss to Eiji’s cheek. “ _Mwah!”_

 _“Ash!”_ Eiji squawks, and bats at him, jerking away. “Ugh, gross!”

He marches over to the sink in a huff, washing his face and giving Ash a dirty look again. Ash just grins and steals a tiny strawberry from the bowl and pops it into his mouth—at least this one’s sweet.

“I can’t believe you’d call me gross on my birthday.” He shakes his head, knowing Eiji’s about to grumble extra hard. “You don’t wanna do anything special _and_ you call me gross… it’s almost like you really are just a stinkyhead.”

“You are so much cuter when you are asleep.” Eiji elbows him in the ribs as he returns to the cutting board to finish the rest of the strawberries. “Now sit your stupid pretty butt down and let me finish making breakfast. We are having mochi waffles because it is your birthday.”

Ash perks up. Waffles are good. Mochi waffles are even better. “Ooh! Can mine have Nutella?”

“Sure, sure, spoiled man.” Eiji smiles, then passes him half of a strawberry. “Here, this one looks sweet.”

“Thanks,” Ash tells him, and kisses his cheek again, properly this time. Eiji smiles at him, and for just a moment, the world rattles and shakes from the force of it—how beautiful that smile is, one smile somehow outshining the sun.

This is Ash’s new normal. This is his life. New York City, just like before, but this time he’s not going to walk these streets alone.

He sneaks another strawberry piece, and the slight sting when Eiji smacks his hand away is absolutely worth seeing the warmth that twinkles in his eyes.

“Twenty-two years old, and still acting like a toddler.” Eiji reaches over and plucks an apple from the bowl of fruit on the counter. “Here, if you are so hungry. Have that. There is honey, if you want to dip slices.”

Ash laughs. “I’m not stealing from you ‘cuz I’m hungry,” he says, and winks, but he does wash the apple all the same. They can share it—honeyed apple slices, fresh strawberries, and waffles. What a good birthday breakfast.

Eiji’s humming as he cuts another strawberry, and Ash glances over at him, trying to place why the song is familiar. “What song is that?”

Oh no. That’s a devious glint in Eiji’s eyes.

 _“I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling twenty-two!”_ he sings, bright and loud. _“Everything will be alright, if you keep me next to you!”_

“Oh my fucking _god!”_ Is he fucking serious? Taylor Swift? Ash groans and drops his head onto the countertop with a _thunk._ “Ow!”

Instead of helping him or even just sympathizing with him for this grievous injury, Eiji just hip-checks him and keeps singing fucking Taylor Swift at him. Ash isn’t sure if he’ll ever recover from this absolutely heinous experience.

Just as they’re finishing up with breakfast (they do the dishes as always, side by side), the doorbell rings, and Eiji hands Ash the last fork and dries his hands and goes to let his sister in.

Nahoko is clearly in a great mood; she practically bounces on her feet as she sails through the door, hops from one foot to the other to pull off her sandals without bothering to unlace them, and pokes Eiji in the stomach as she passes.

“Ash! Happy birthday!” She hurries over to him, and he dries his hands to return the quick hug she gives him. “I heard that this stinkyhead Nii-san of mine didn’t have any birthday plans for you, so I thought, clearly, if he has to be boring and stay in all day, then you can have a day out with the cuter Okumura!”

“Clearly,” Eiji deadpans, closing the front door behind her.

“You don’t get sarcasm rights right now,” Ash warns. “You’re the one who accidentally made plans for me to get out of the house before it was even ten in the fucking morning.”

“It was practically ten!” Eiji protests. “Nine fifty-seven is basically ten!”

“That’s an extra three minutes I _could_ have been asleep!”

“Three minutes mean nothing, you lazy bastard!”

“Did you invite me over just to watch another lovers’ quarrel?” Nahoko interrupts, crossing her arms. She puffs her cheeks out the same way Eiji does, but last time Ash pointed that out, she declared that she and Eiji look _nothing_ alike because she’s _way_ cuter. “Nii-san, stop talking. Ash, are you ready to leave? We have a schedule to keep!”

“Schedule…?” Ash repeats, questioning. “What kind of schedule?”

Nahoko laughs. “Well, okay, it is not a real schedule. But there are several places I want to take you! It is your birthday! We can make a nice day of it!”

She glances sidelong at Eiji, who returns the look with a raised eyebrow. Ash isn’t really sure what that’s about, but he chalks it up to some sibling code or other, the kind of thing that they both understand in each other even when others have a hard time.

“For shame, Eiji.” Nahoko shakes her head. “Working through your own fiancé’s birthday. Shameful! Where is your sense of romance?”

Eiji puffs out his cheeks again, opening his mouth as if to say something back before he shuts it and glares, eyes narrowed. “Oh, you shut up!”

“He has work stuff,” Ash soothes, laughing softly. “And I told him I don’t mind if he’s busy all day. We’re watching a movie tonight and having cake. Oh—when we go out, don’t let me forget to buy some almonds; I think we’re running low.”

“Silly man.” Eiji turns from Nahoko, and the attempted grumpiness falls from his face as he looks at Ash, leaving a warm smile. “It’s your _birthday!_ You do not need to do the groceries. We can do those tomorrow. One more day without almonds will not kill either of us.”

Okay, fine, fine. Ash gives in easily and ruffles Eiji’s hair, grinning when Eiji squawks and ducks his head. “Alright, sure, fine. No groceries.”

“I doubt they have groceries at the mall, anyway,” Nahoko points out, not unreasonably. “Come on, Ash! You are ready to go, right? Leave this boring lump to do his boring lump things. You can hang out with your favorite sister-in-law-to-be instead!”

She strikes a pose, then giggles and waves him over. Her enthusiasm is infectious—Ash wasn’t exactly planning to go out today, but honestly, why not? He can still come home in the afternoon and have some quiet time with Eiji. And he knows it makes Eiji happy to see him spending time with his sister.

“By token of being his _only_ sister-in-law-to-be, you are also his least favorite,” Eiji grouses, no real heat in his voice. “Now shoo. I have things to do that are not just standing here listening to your insults! Go on. Get out of my house.”

Nahoko sticks her tongue out at him, and as he stuffs his wallet into his pocket, Ash laughs.

They take the bus down to Hudson Yards, and to Ash’s amusement, Nahoko chatters the entire way there, swinging her legs as they sit side-by-side and watch the city roll by. She talks about her study abroad classmates, her on-campus dorm-apartment setup, and the weird “knife hole in the sink”, which takes Ash a second to register as the garbage disposal.

“Next stop’s us,” he informs her, glancing outside. “So I take it you’ve settled in okay? Jetlag not too bad or anything?”

“Nope!” Nahoko gives him a big thumbs-up and a bright grin that’s oddly reminiscent of her big brother. “I drank lots of coffee the other day and stayed awake until bedtime, and then I slept until morning, and now my sleep schedule is A-okay!”

That’s definitely an Americanism she’s picked up either from TV or from the friends she’s made on campus. Or maybe off-campus.

Maybe it’s Sing’s fault. They’ve been playing Pokémon and Animal Crossing and MarioKart together from opposite sides of the globe for a while now, Eiji said.

“Glad to hear it.” He pauses. “I think Eiji would say you should cool it on the coffee, though.”

Nahoko makes a face as the bus stops and they both stand to head to the door. “Eiji is a worry-wart. I do not drink it that often! I like tea better.”

And she says she’s nothing like Eiji.

“Sure, sure.” They step off the bus to stand on the sidewalk in the sweltering sun, and Ash tucks his thumbs into his pockets and inclines his head. “Mall’s that way. C’mon.”

It’s only about three blocks away, but three blocks at eighty-five degrees is gross, and when they make it through the doors to be greeted by a blast of cool air from the AC, both Ash and Nahoko let out sighs of relief.

“First order of business.” Ash looks around, until he spots the nearest map and goes over to scrutinize. Right—fourth floor. “Let’s go get something cold. There’s a Shake Shack—you fancy a milkshake?”

“Oohhhh.” Nahoko trots after him to the escalators. “Yes! Milkshakes sound good! It is _hot._ What is the temperature outside again? I read eighty-four on some sign, but that means nothing to me.”

“It’s about thirty in Celsius,” Ash converts automatically. Some kid on the down escalator stares at them as they go up; Ash offers him a little grin, and he waves with big eyes.

“Thirty!” Nahoko fans herself with a hand. “No wonder it is so gross and hot! Thirty is a lot. Like summer back at home.”

Yeah, Izumo’s pretty temperate—it got hot in summer, but the winter was milder than what he’s used to from NYC. “Just wait ‘til January. You’ll miss the heat then.”

Nahoko rolls her eyes as Ash leads the way around to the next escalator. “I will not. I have a whole winter wardrobe I like to show off. Besides, in the cold, you can always put on more layers! When it is hot you cannot just take off your _skin._ ”

Yeah, yeah. Ash has heard that a million times before. It’s not false, though—he doesn’t like either extreme of temperature; the only good thing about cold winter months is that they provide a good excuse to cuddle with Eiji more, not that he particularly needs an excuse. Otherwise, Eiji laughs at him for being anemic and always freezing. But summer is just so _hot._ And he burns so _easily._ It _sucks._

They reach the fourth floor and meander their way to Shake Shack; Ash gets himself a chocolate shake, and Nahoko a strawberry one, and then they wander the floor as they sip them, pointing things out in shop windows or scrutinizing menus of other restaurants; Nahoko is particularly transfixed by Dylan’s Candy Bar, and Ash promises they’ll come back when they need a snack.

“Okay!” Nahoko sips her milkshake, looking up at him seriously with a glint in her eye as they ride the escalator back down to the third floor. Even standing one step above him, she’s still a touch shorter than he is. “I saw a Sephora here. We will start there! We are also going to all of these fancy brand name stores and stuff. Or maybe—no, actually, let us start with clothes! That way we can match the makeup to your new outfit.”

Ash blinks. “I’m buying,” he says, because he’s got plenty of money left from committing international white-collar crimes at seventeen, and what better way to spend that than on the little sister of the love of his life?

Or… on himself, but to satisfy her. Something like that. He’s not entirely sure what the goal of this outing is, but hey, he got a milkshake out of it.

“Okay,” Nahoko agrees pleasantly. “Just get what you like! After all, I know you have lots of pretty clothes that you like already, and all.”

Ash raises an eyebrow, amused. “So is my birthday present the part where you decided we’re going out for the day? Since I’m getting myself the clothes?”

“You are getting my opinion on the clothes,” Nahoko jokes back, and then laughs as they walk into the first store they see. “No, no. Your present is the look on Eiji’s face when you go home and he realizes he missed out on seeing you try on clothes and sparkly makeup things. He will be so mad at himself. And it will be all his fault.”

That’s her reasoning? Ash _laughs._ “In fairness, getting slammed with a big project from work isn’t really his fault, but it’s funny regardless, so I’m on board.”

Nahoko gives him a deadpan look for some reason, but then just sips her milkshake instead of saying anything. Ash is about to ask her what that’s about, when she gasps and points at a rack, gleefully rushing over.

“Look! These are your style of hats, right?”

They’re absolutely ridiculous. They’re _huge,_ brightly colored, and have feathers and sequins and fake flowers everywhere. Ash stares at the so-called hats on the rack in front of him for a second, absolutely flabbergasted, and Nahoko bursts into laughter.

“Wait, wait!” she crows. “Put one on, here, here, this one—we can send a photo to Eiji!”

Oh, that’s good. Eiji will love that. Ash takes the monstrosity that Nahoko gives him (seriously, what the fuck is with the fashion world? He really doesn’t understand some things) and stares at the bright red cloth, the strange U-shape of the brim, and the highlighter-yellow floral decoration piled high atop it.

“Fine, but one condition. You have to wear one, too.”

“Huh? But…” Nahoko reaches up to touch her hair, which is in a pair of neat space buns. “It will ruin my hair…”

“That’s the deal,” Ash says, and shakes his head sympathetically. “Take it or leave it.”

Nahoko seems torn for a second, scrutinizing the hats, and then lights up. “Aha! This one!”

The lime green hat she picks up has a weird, folded brim on one side, and she carefully sets it in the middle of her head, putting the hat on lopsided so that one of the buns is inside it, and the other next to the folded brim. It stays, so long as she keeps her head tilted to one side, and she looks inordinately pleased with herself.

Ridiculous, Ash thinks, laughing again as he pulls out his phone to take a selfie of them both. This is absolutely ridiculous.

That ends up being the tone of their entire shopping trip—ridiculous, but fun. It strikes Ash that he hasn’t really gone out like this in a while, just to do something silly with a friend, whether that friend is Eiji or anyone else; he’s been busying himself with housework and reading and the daily routine, but it’s nice to get out, too.

Plus, every time Nahoko refers to herself as his favorite sister-in-law—she drops the _to-be_ sometimes, complaining it’s too long—it sends a little thrill through him, a flutter of excitement.

He’s alive and he’s in New York City and he’s one year older and he’s going to _marry Eiji._

At Nahoko’s insistence, he does get a birthday makeover, mostly at his own hand, but with a few suggestions here and there. She finds a lacy black crop top that Ash wouldn’t have really called his style, Ash spots some ripped wine-red jeans, and they go pretty well together.

“No more selfies for Eiji,” Nahoko declares once they’ve checked out, and grins conspiratorially. “He will get a surprise later.”

Ash does like surprising Eiji. “Definitely,” he agrees, and folds his old T-shirt to put in the bag. He doesn’t usually dress like this, but… he does like it. It’s fun, playing with his appearance for no one but himself, egged on with enthusiasm by his _sister-in-law-to-be_.

Maybe he should go shopping with her more often.

“Come,” Nahoko tells him, and flaps a hand in his general direction. “Now we go to Sephora.”

They go to Sephora and are immediately met by loud pop music, bright colors, and lots of glitter. Nahoko is very in her element, leading him around to various displays; she points out some liquid lipsticks that she says really stay on well, and Ash agrees, leaning in to examine them.

“You wear makeup?” Nahoko asks, surprised.

“Sometimes.” Ash shrugs slightly. “I know how, at least. Don’t do it too often, though.”

“Can I put some on you sometime?” Nahoko clasps her hands together, eyes big and pleading. Seriously! Just like Eiji. “It would be fun! My friends in Japan and I have makeup and nails parties with each other sometimes! Misaki is the only one who did this study abroad with me for this year, though, so it is less of a party.”

“I can’t promise a party,” Ash says, putting a pink lipstick back on the shelf and picking up a red, to test on his wrist. “But if you want to, sure.”

Nahoko gasps. “Really?!”

“Just you,” Ash warns. “Not Misaki. She’s nice and all, but not just anyone gets rights to touch my face.” He offers her a little grin, too, because it’s true—he’s doing a lot better than he used to, but PTSD doesn’t just go away, and he still doesn’t trust too easy.

But with family, he’s okay.

So he picks up a box with the red lipstick and tells her, “Not everyone’s my favorite sister-in-law, y’know.”

Nahoko looks absolutely starstruck with delight, and actually _squeals_ and jumps up and down with excitement. Ash isn’t sure what it says about Sephora that no one else in the store seems to bat an eyelash.

“Yes! Yes, of course! Okay! We will do it. Sibling-in-law bonding time!” She giggles, clapping her hands, and then puffs out her cheeks in thought. “Eiji is not invited.”

“Not invited?” Ash laughs. “Harsh. Why don’t we just dump glitter on him?”

Nahoko pauses. Blinks. Stares at him for a second. And then she grins deviously, the same way Eiji does, and elbows him lightly.

“Oh, _yes_. See? You are full of good ideas! Definitely my favorite big brother.”

Ash laughs again. For all that the two of them rag on each other, he knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that they’re close; Nahoko might jokingly call Eiji names, but he’s her first confidant, and Eiji might grumble about her being annoying, but if anything happened, he’d be at her side in a heartbeat.

It makes Ash’s heart ache, a little. He still misses a specific smile, a hand patting his head, a warm voice telling him _good job, Aslan,_ for coming home from school with perfect marks on a spelling test.

Oh, _Griff_. If only he was here; Ash could have dumped glitter on him, too. The thought brings a little wistful smile to his face.

“Ooh, Ash!” Nahoko’s voice pulls him out of his thoughts, and he looks up to see her waving at him from around the display stand. “Come over to this side, I think this eyeshadow palette might be something you would like!”

“Coming!”

It’s a small palette, with some dark reds and metallic golds along with more mundane colors. Ash examines it, swiping a finger through the gold, and rubs a small test patch on the back of his hand.

Ooh, very pigmented and shiny. He’s into that.

Highlighter is next, and then eyeliner, and also mascara, and by the time they’re done with Sephora, they’ve both tried out several lipsticks, glosses, highlighters, blushes, and god knows what else. Ash feels vaguely like a glitter bomb has exploded on him, even after he uses a provided make-up remover wipe to clean his face and hands.

…He’s definitely gonna go rub his cheeks all over Eiji when he gets home. The thought brings a smile to his face.

Nahoko’s on her phone texting someone—probably one of her friends, or maybe Sing—as Ash consolidates shopping bags inside each other so there’s only one to carry. She puffs out her cheeks again, then hums in thought, then sends whatever message it was she was typing; Ash studies her for a moment and wonders if this might have been how Griff felt, looking at him.

“That about wrap it up?” he asks, when Nahoko puts her phone back into her pocket. “I could go for some tea or something.”

Nahoko lights up again, bouncing on her feet even though they’ve been wandering the mall for a few hours now. “The candy shop! Let’s go get that fruit candy box!”

Oh, right. The candy shop.

They wind up sitting on a bench with a box of thirty dollar’s worth of assorted fruity candy between them; it’s really fucking good fruity candy, and between both of them, it doesn’t last that long. Eiji would be groaning in despair if he was here, Ash knows—he’s perpetually horrified by the size of Ash’s sweet tooth, and Nahoko has one of her own.

“Let’s leave a few. At least one of each,” Ash suggests, as Nahoko starts to reach for the last pineapple gummy bear. “I’ll give them to Eiji and tell him we ate all of the rest in one sitting.”

Nahoko laughs and withdraws her hand to pick up a candied orange jelly instead. “Oh, he will bitch and moan about it for ages!”

Ash grins. “I know.”

He stretches, arms high over his head, and rolls his shoulders, then checks his phone. It’s past five in the evening, he’s startled to realize—did they really spend that long wandering the mall? Wow.

“It’s getting close to dinner time,” he observes, and glances at Nahoko. “Eiji ‘n’ I were gonna order in tonight and watch ‘Lord of the Rings’. You wanna join?”

Nahoko makes a face. “And watch you guys be sappy and flirt for hours? No, thanks!”

Ash can’t really argue that one. Especially when he’s about to walk through the front door in a crop top and make-up. He just shrugs and inclines his head. “Fair point. What’ll you do, then?”

Nahoko checks her phone again, grinning down at whatever she sees. She takes a moment to answer, giggling as she types a reply. “I am going to Chinatown! Sing says he needs help beating a five-star Dynamax raid, and he bred and evolved a Flapple for me in return.”

… _Huh._

Maybe he’s reading too much into things, but Ash _swears_ that that’s the same way Eiji grins at him. Which might mean that…

Really? Sing. Huh. Ash didn’t see that coming. Sing’s a good kid, though.

At the very least, Ash will have something fun to talk to Eiji about. _Hey, I think your sister’s got a crush on Sing. Do you think your mom would flip if_ both _her kids started dating former New York gang bosses?_

Even if he’s wrong, though, the fact of the matter is that Nahoko and Sing are going to go play Pokémon together, so as her “favorite big brother”, Ash figures he has the right to tease a bit. “Nerd,” he says lightly. “Both of you.”

Nahoko elbows him. “Says the one who sits there reading textbooks for _fun.”_

Ash grins. “Guilty as charged.”

They part ways not too long after that; Nahoko gives him a big hug and tells him “Happy birthday, Ash!” with a big bright grin again, before she gets on her bus to head to Chinatown. Ash pats her head and thanks her for the wonderful day, then texts Eiji that he’s heading home and receives fifteen hearts in reply.

(Yes, he counts them.)

He opens the door and is immediately greeted by the smell of something _delicious,_ and fuck, he hasn’t eaten anything but sugar since brunch this morning. Did Eiji already order dinner?

“Tadaima!”

“Okaeri—wait! Wait, don’t come in here yet!” Eiji’s voice calls from the dining room, sounding a little frazzled. There’s a little _clunk_ like he’s put down a big dish or something, and then a few clicks that Ash _thinks_ are from the lighter, and he blinks, bemused, as he toes out of his shoes. What’s Eiji up to?

“You good?”

“Yes, yes! Just—one second!”

Ash shifts from foot to foot. Is Eiji plotting something? Maybe he ordered food and he’s trying to set it up all nice for dinner?

“Okay, well, I’m gonna go put this stuff in the bedroom, ‘kay? I won’t look in the dining room. Can I go past?”

“Yes, that’s fine!” Eiji is definitely setting the table; Ash hears the telltale clinks of silverware.

He smiles as he walks past to put his shopping bag in the bedroom—he’ll take out the other new clothes plus what he was wearing earlier… later. After dinner. He’s hungry, and it smells really, really good. What did Eiji get? It smells kind of like Japanese food, but Eiji hardly ever likes to buy Japanese…

“Okay!” Eiji calls, as Ash pads out of the bedroom again. “All set! You can come in!”

Ash walks into the dining room and stops dead in his tracks, eyes wide.

Eiji didn’t order dinner. Instead, there’s two placemats on the table, and on each a plate of homemade sushi topped with shrimp, next to gyoza arranged in a little half-moon shape, and two bowls, one of avocado-and-shrimp salad, and the other filled with steaming miso soup. In the center of the table are two candles and a vase with a single rose; Eiji even got the nice tablecloth out.

Ash _stares._

He finally manages to tear his gaze from the table when Eiji reenters the room from the kitchen, holding a big bouquet of sunflowers tied with a jovial orange ribbon, and—

Eiji stares at him, his eyes going wide. Ash stares back, full of adoration, and slowly shakes his head.

“How did you… Where did you find the time? I thought you had… work… to do…”

Work. A sudden project that conveniently needed to be done on Ash’s birthday. And then “accidentally” getting Ash out of the house all day. And Nahoko _was_ checking her phone a lot.

Ash gapes at Eiji. “Did you weaponize your sister’s ditziness against me?”

That makes Eiji laugh brightly, and he comes forward to hold out the sunflowers. Ash takes them, delighted, and gently rubs a soft petal between his thumb and forefinger.

“I did,” Eiji says, and reaches up to cup his cheek. His voice is soft. “You fell for it, too. You did not suspect a thing, did you?”

Ash shakes his head. He’d say something sassy, maybe _I didn’t think my fiancé would lie to me on my birthday_ , but Eiji’s looking at him with so much adoration that the words die in his throat, and all he can do is smile back.

“Nah. You got me.” He turns his head, presses a small kiss into Eiji’s palm, and laughs. “What’s with that look?”

“Huh? Oh—nothing, I just—” and Eiji blushes, then leans up on his toes to kiss Ash’s cheek. “You are so _beautiful.”_

Ash blinks. Blinks again.

Oh, right. New outfit and make-up. Right. The entire shopping trip. Forgot about that.

And the way Eiji’s looking at him…

Warmth bubbles up in his chest, overflowing and filling him up from head to toe. He grins, ducking his head just slightly, and then leans in to kiss Eiji properly, still cradling the sunflowers gently against his chest. Eiji’s lips are even softer than the petals.

When he draws back, he pecks Eiji’s forehead. “Thank you, honey.”

“Can I take a picture of you?” Eiji asks, eyes still fixed on him. “You can say no, I just—you are so, so beautiful, I…”

Damn it all, he’s making him blush! Ash’s cheeks heat, but he laughs again and nods, lowering his face to his sunflowers for a second. “Yeah, go for it. How do you want me?”

“However you want.” Eiji leans up on his toes to kiss him again, then squishes his cheeks and withdraws. “Let me get my camera.”

Ash wonders how long he’ll take to notice that he just got glitter on his hands.

He ends up just leaning on the edge of the dining table, beaming at the camera as Eiji stands behind it—the _click-click_ that used to haunt his nightmares doesn’t bother him if the camera is in Eiji’s hands—and Eiji, a good fiancé to be sure, winks at him before ducking to look through the viewfinder.

Eiji gets a couple of shots, and then Ash pushes away from the table. It’s _torture_ being right next to all this good food without putting any of it in his mouth.

“Okay, now lemme get these in some water and let’s eat. God, did you make all of this? Of course you did. It smells _amazing._ I’m _starving._ ”

Laughing, Eiji puts his camera down and takes the flowers. “I already have a vase and fertilizer ready,” he explains, and trots into the living room; he comes back a second later and settles at the table, and Ash mirrors him eagerly. “I hope you like the food! There is also some curry in the fridge for tomorrow, or if you do not like how these turned out. I tried my hand at fusion foods for the gyoza—I used avocado and cream cheese in the filling, and I _think_ it turned out good, but if you do not like them, don’t eat them, okay?”

Ash wastes absolutely no time in picking up his chopsticks and taking a bite from one of his gyoza. And—

“Holy _fuck,_ that’s amazing.” He chews, swallows, and stares at Eiji in wonder. “I am so glad I’m marrying you, what the hell?”

“Just for my culinary abilities?” Eiji raises an eyebrow. “I am wounded.”

Ash rolls his eyes and takes a second bite. It’s _good._ God, he is so hungry, this tastes so good, Eiji is really an angel, what the fuck! “Yeah. Your culinary abilities, and also that ass.”

_“Ash!”_

They both laugh, and under the table, Ash hooks his foot around Eiji’s ankle. Eiji smiles at him, and Ash blows him a kiss before he returns to inhaling his dinner.

“You know,” he remarks, a few minutes later, “I think your sister’s into Sing.”

Eiji chokes on his soup, splutters, and coughs, going red in the face. In retrospect, Ash realizes maybe he should have waited until Eiji wasn’t drinking anything.

“Sorry!”

Eiji takes several sips of water, wheezes, and gapes at him. “She _what?”_

“It’s a theory,” Ash says, and laughs. “But I think she is. Dunno if it’s mutual—he’s like… I dunno if there’s something between him ‘n’ Yut-Lung, but I mean, he can do better than that, so I’m all for it.”

Thoughtful Eiji tilts his head to the side, chopsticks forgotten in his hand. “…Huh.”

Ash grins, poking his toe against Eiji’s leg under the table. “Just made me wonder—how bad d’you think your mom’d flip if _both_ her kids started dating former New York gang bosses?”

Eiji lets out a very undignified, _very_ charming snort. “Oh, now I really hope they do get together. Just to tell Kaa-san.”

Ash just laughs again. “Yeah,” he agrees, and goes back to his sushi.

This makes for four birthdays consecutively that he’s actually celebrated—nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, and now twenty-two—and it’s the first that he’s celebrated with a ring on his finger, heavy with the promise of the future.

Twenty-two years old. When they met, Ash never thought even in his wildest dreams that he’d live this long. Embroiled in a world of violence and death, fighting tooth and nail just to live another day…

…And now look at him. Engaged. Getting a master’s. Going shopping for fun. His biggest worries are figuring out what meals to prep for each week, not trying to figure out who might try to kill him in the night.

The thought makes him a little misty-eyed, but he blinks the tears back and focuses on his sushi. He’s just… happy.

He’s really, really happy.

After dinner, Eiji gets up again, leaves the room, and comes back with a neatly-wrapped box, tied with the same orange ribbon as the bouquet. He comes over to Ash’s side of the table and hands it to him, but before Ash can open it, Eiji wraps his arms around his shoulders and hugs him, resting his chin atop his head.

“I love you, Ash.” He presses a kiss to the top of Ash’s head, gently swaying him back and forth. “I know I already told you, but again. Happy birthday, my darling.” 

“Eiji,” Ash murmurs, breathless, as he hugs him back. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do so many things…”

“I wanted to.” Eiji’s fingers stroke through the hair at the base of his head, just above the nape of his neck, and a pleasant shiver thrums down Ash’s spine. “I like seeing how you smile.”

“Cheese,” Ash murmurs, smiling against him.

After a moment, Eiji withdraws. “Go on. Open it! And then we can have cake. It is in the fridge right now, but just so you know, it is red velvet, and you cannot laugh at how bad of a job frosting it I did, okay?”

Ash doesn’t laugh. He just tips his face up to his love, catches a handful of Eiji’s collar, and tugs him down for a kiss.

It’s a long, sweet kiss, and when he finally breaks away, Eiji’s breathless and very pink. Ash grins at the sight, reaching up to tousle his hair affectionately. God, he’s so lovely. Ash will never be used to just how wonderful this man is.

“I’m just very grateful you did all of this at all, Birdie. It could be the ugliest cake ever and I’d still be grateful!”

Eiji huffs. “You say that now, but you have not seen what a bad job I did with the frosting.”

Ash does laugh, then, as he gets up and wraps his arm around Eiji’s shoulders. “C’mon. Let’s go sit in the living room for a bit. I’m so damn stuffed, we can have your ugly cake in a little while. Maybe with tea?”

“Yes!” Eiji’s arm snakes around his waist and gives him a squeeze. “Don’t forget your present.”

“Of course.” Ash picks up the package as they walk, hefting it. It feels like a book, and he perks up. What books has he been talking about lately…? Hmm…

They sit down, and Eiji immediately looks at him expectantly. “Go on, open it! I want to see if you like it.”

“Okay, okay!”

Ash unties the ribbon and tears off the paper, and inside is…

It’s a beautiful, beautiful journal. Leather-bound, with thick, weathered pages and a gilded Tree of Gondor on the front, surrounded by embossed scrollwork and decorative metal pins. Ash is breathless with awe as he traces a finger along the outlines, then slowly looks up at Eiji.

“You like it?” Eiji tilts his head, already grinning with delight.

“It’s _wonderful,”_ Ash breathes, and hugs him as tight as he can. “Eiji, I love it, holy _fuck_. Is it—did you custom order it or something? How did…”

“I found it on Etsy!” Eiji beams. “I was thinking, what could I get you that would be useful _and_ something special to you? And… I know you have been sort of dabbling with poetry, right? So I thought, maybe if you wanted one place to put all your thoughts and drafts, or something…”

Ash _has_ been dabbling in poetry. Specifically, Ash has been dabbling in poetry to feel closer to Griffin, and Griffin was the one who introduced him to Tolkien’s works by getting him to read _The Hobbit_ when he was six, and now Eiji’s giving him a notebook for his poetry that has one of Tolkien’s designs on the cover, and…

Absolutely breathless, Ash hugs him again. “It’s perfect,” he says softly, and cups Eiji’s face. “It’s _perfect._ Thank you so much.”

“Perfect is what you deserve.” Eiji scrunches a hand through his hair. “I’m very glad you like it.”

Ash takes a soft breath. He really is sitting here, twenty-two years old (like the stupid Taylor Swift song), with a notebook in his hands that feels, amazingly, like a connection over the years back in time to his dead brother. He’s sitting here, engaged to the love of his life, happy and content for once, and he’s _alive._

“Ash?”

Eiji touches his cheek, and Ash blinks back sudden tears again to look at him. His big eyes are full of soft concern, and his hair is in a messy bun, and he’s just wearing a T-shirt he stole from Ash ages ago with some jean shorts, but he’s beautiful. Ash can’t look away.

“What is it?” Eiji murmurs, caressing his cheek. “Are you okay?”

Ash takes a shaky breath, smiling tremulously. “I just—I was—Griff was the one who got me into ‘Lord of the Rings’, and—and I wanted to write poetry just ‘cuz he used to, and—and you didn’t even _know_ he was the reason I love these book but—this is perfect, and I love you _so much,_ and—and you are gonna have _so_ much glitter all over you now, but—”

He breaks off to bury his face in Eiji’s neck, clinging to him tight, and sniffles, smiling and smiling and smiling. Eiji lets out a tiny _mm!_ and rubs his back, then lays his cheek against his hair.

“Go ahead, get me glittery,” he sighs. “I grew up in the same house as Nahoko. I am used to it.”

Ash laughs, watery and warm, and kisses his neck. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Eiji kisses his hair in response. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Ash looks up at him, soft and tender and god, so in love. Eiji planned his whole day to surprise him with dinner, and then the perfect gift, and… god. Ash loves him. Ash really, really loves him. “I’m just… I’m really happy.”

“Oh, Ash.” Eiji smiles at him, radiant and soft. He’s the most beautiful thing in the entire world, Ash thinks breathlessly, and not for the first time tonight, he wonders how the hell he ever got this lucky.

“Eiji,” he answers, voice soft.

Eiji smiles at him some more, and then tenderly tucks a lock of hair behind his ear, his fingers gentle against Ash’s skin. “I love you,” he says, and leans in and kisses him, soft and loving. “My sweet Ash.”

“I love you, too.” Ash hugs him close. “My sweet Eiji.”

Eiji hums, arms wound snug around him, and ruffles his hair as he draws back to give him a quick kiss again. God, his mouth is so soft.

“Come,” Eiji says, and pecks his cheek. “Let’s clean up before we sit down, so we don’t have to after the movie is over when we are sleepy, okay? And we can make our tea and have some of my ugly cake.”

“Yeah,” Ash agrees, and follows him to the kitchen, plates gathered in hand.

They do the dishes together, standing side-by-side. Eiji soaps; Ash rinses. It’s clockwork. It’s routine. It’s the crest of the hill that opens up to a new horizon entirely, one that lies in the distance across a vast field of gold.

Like with all things, Ash knows they’ll cross that together, too.

**Author's Note:**

> thank u for reading!!!!!!!! excuse any glaring errors; i didnt do a very thorough edit like i usually do bc i havent been in great health ;n; but i wanted to get this published before the 12th was over dfkjhdkjs (it's 11:48... wheezes)
> 
> title comes from [this poem](http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/The_Ent_and_the_Entwife) from lotr!! felt fitting (and is approximately from the same part of the books that ash was at in his reread, hehe). 
> 
> slowly pushes the nahoko agenda forwards... she loves her brothers... also one day im gonna properly write out nahoko and sing's friendship bc eiji's sister meeting sing soo-ling is just so fun as a concept. if u follow me on twitter u have heard this spiel before hskjdhfjkds
> 
> find me: { [twitter](https://twitter.com/SongbirdRimi) | [tumblr](https://eijispumpkin.tumblr.com) | [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/SongbirdRimi) }


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